We've been told it for years: too many eggs are bad for your heart. So when a woman decided to eat it with every meal — breakfast, lunch and dinner — for five consecutive months, everyone expected the worst. Starting with herself, who feared her doctor's reaction during her annual health check-up. What she discovered that day called everything into question.
Five months of eggs at every meal: what was it like in practice?
Nothing extravagant in this woman's approach. No viral challenge, no extreme diet. Just a simple desire: to eat practical, economical and protein. In the morning, an omelette or scrambled eggs. For lunch, a frittata or a mixed salad with hard-boiled eggs. In the evening, a quiche, eggs in a casserole dish or a well-flavored shakshuka.
In total, about 15 eggs per week. That’s almost 60 eggs per month. Well beyond the old recommendations which advised limiting yourself to two or three eggs per week maximum.
She went to her medical appointment mentally preparing to receive a sermon.
The surprise of the blood test
The doctor looked at the results. And he was frankly surprised.
His bad cholesterol (LDL) had down. His good cholesterol (HDL) had increased. His triglycerides were within a completely healthy range. In short: his cardiovascular assessment had improved, not deteriorated. Against all odds.
However, this result is not so surprising for scientists who follow the research closely. Over the past ten years, studies have been accumulating to rehabilitate the egg — long wrongly accused.
Why science has changed its mind about eggs
For decades, egg yolk was singled out because of its dietary cholesterol content. But here's what we know today: the cholesterol we eat is not directly responsible for cholesterol in the blood.
It is the liver that produces the majority of cholesterol circulating in our body. When we consume more through food, the liver naturally produces less to compensate. A pretty stunning self-regulatory mechanism.
The real ones responsible for the rise in bad cholesterol? Saturated fats, found in cold meats, butter in large quantities or certain cheeses. Not in the eggs themselves.
What it changes for you every day
If you avoided eggs for fear of cholesterol, you can blow. For most healthy people, one or two eggs a day are not only safe, but actually beneficial.
The egg is a little nutritional mine: complete proteins, vitamin D, B12, selenium, choline, lutein... And the yolk, above all, concentrates most of these nutrients. No need to ignore it!
One nuance all the same: if you have diabetes or a history of heart disease, personalized medical advice remains essential. And if your eggs systematically accompany bacon and butter in spades, that may be where the real problem lies — not in the egg itself.
Nature has put a lot of common sense into a simple egg. And it would be a shame to miss it.
